PartagerSaving water thanks to air conditioning
Two Houston Universities are tapping into the city’s air-conditioning (AC) systems to conserve water in the midst of a historic drought.
Two Houston Universities are tapping into the city’s air-conditioning (AC) systems to conserve water in the midst of a historic drought. Rice University is recycling 45 000 m3 of water (5-6% of its consumption) per year, by harvesting condensate water from AC systems, thus achieving USD 80 000-100 000 savings annually. In a similar way, the University of Houston started recycling water for three science buildings five years ago and plans to expand the initiative to new buildings being constructed.
Rice first applied “grey water recovery” to a 10-storey building which required a lot of cooling and produced high amounts of condensation, and Houston University began recycling water after officials noticed large amounts (around 300 m3 a day) from cooling towers were being wasted. One main advantage is that condensate water is pure and therefore does not require treating. The recycling project has reduced the universities water and energy costs, and the concept is slowly gaining ground around the country.
Rice first applied “grey water recovery” to a 10-storey building which required a lot of cooling and produced high amounts of condensation, and Houston University began recycling water after officials noticed large amounts (around 300 m3 a day) from cooling towers were being wasted. One main advantage is that condensate water is pure and therefore does not require treating. The recycling project has reduced the universities water and energy costs, and the concept is slowly gaining ground around the country.